Terrorism and America: A Commonsense Strategy for a Democratic Society (BCSIA Studies in International Security)

This levelheaded appraisal of how the United States--and, indeed, any democratic society--can combat terrorism is a good policy primer on a subject that continues to confound law-abiding nations. Drawing on the lessons learned from terrorist acts such as the Oklahoma City and World Trade Center bombings, Heymann offers advice that is sometimes obvious (intelligence gathering is critical) and occasionally counterintuitive (military action, though popular, is not a very effective deterrent). He is most sensitive to the fact that democracies cannot become security states--governments, in other words, shouldn't defend their liberty by subverting it. Most important, Heymann recognizes that terrorism can't be stopped, but that perhaps it can be managed: "We can deal with it; we can discourage it; but we cannot end it completely any more than we can end violence for other purposes." A bleak fact of modern life, and proof of why Heymann's insights are so welcome. --John J. Miller